this is mostly for me to remember later
Jun. 1st, 2020 02:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impyOh look. We're gearing up for another night of curfew. I've got to stop reading any and all comments on news articles because I am going to lose what little bit left I have of my mind and now's not the time to get locked up anywhere outside your own home. Sigh.
Work called yesterday to say that I didn't have to come in because they were closing at 7 (funny, curfew was at 6...) and then after he finishes telling me that we do get paid for the hours we were scheduled, D then says, "oh shit/fuck (I don't remember which), I forgot you're not even on tonight. Sorry." To which I told him it was fine, it was nice to know for sure my Saturday night off was paid.
Saturday, btw, went full on looting downtown. Cass and I were on the phone shortly after I got home (I walked down to get the mail before curfew) and she was watching various live-streams that I assume were from the various news stations. I watched a few replays later and one live as they rolled through downtown surveying the damage. I will say that it did not take me long to get super tired of hearing the name "West Elm" as I swear, each reporter felt the need to focus on it. Why? The windows/glass door were shattered and the sprinklers were on and the water was kinda trickling out (probably rushed whenever they opened the door) but it wasn't on fire and there were stores that were, in fact, on fire. Hell, Hall's Chophouse had the owner (?) go back inside, grab his gun, and come out and fire the shots you could hear in other videos. THAT's something to cover, not water damage at West Elm. Jesus.
I was up for most of Saturday night, til maybe 4am when I realized my mute on a former coworker must've ended because her stuff was popping up in my feed again. unfortunately, the second thing I noticed from her was a video that I clicked and I really fucking wish I hadn't. I'm not entirely sure I did not inadvertently watch someone die on video. It was very much a close the computer down and run away because holyfuck, who shares that shit? Who shares it without a warning at least? I have not been able to bring myself to watch the ten minute snuff film that set off the riots and protests because I absolutely know that it is not something I could handle seeing and then I stumble across... I... no. No. And it looped, because all these fucking videos loop and I wish brain bleach were a real thing.
The kicker about Saturday's protests is that the daylight part? Peaceful. The sun sets and a new group of people swoop in and shit goes sideways real quick. I'm not sure why the curfew was 11-7. I can only assume it was to squeeze every last dollar they could from being open but um, not sure how well that worked since a lot of the restaurants and things downtown had the looting happen while customers were still inside.
Cops didn't arrest anyone Saturday, even though they absolutely had time to do so. Just saying. Sunday though, they went in hard at the protest on Marion Square. Wtf. Sunday's curfew was 6pm-6am and the MS protest was maybe noon-ish when the cops started arresting people? It was weird.
Today has protests in Summerville, which is a hop, skip, and a jump down the road from me. Luckily, if you can call it that, that road has a plantation or two in between so you know it's not really that short a distance.
All of this would be soul crushing enough on its own, but you combine it with the massive uptick in COVID cases in the state and Widget going MIA over the weekend (because of course he fucking did) and it's just... last week was wild. Oh, and someone pulled a hit and run on one of Cass's cats and said cat died in Cass's arms. Throw in that surprise tropical storm and May went out in a swirl of chaos, truly.
Work called yesterday to say that I didn't have to come in because they were closing at 7 (funny, curfew was at 6...) and then after he finishes telling me that we do get paid for the hours we were scheduled, D then says, "oh shit/fuck (I don't remember which), I forgot you're not even on tonight. Sorry." To which I told him it was fine, it was nice to know for sure my Saturday night off was paid.
Saturday, btw, went full on looting downtown. Cass and I were on the phone shortly after I got home (I walked down to get the mail before curfew) and she was watching various live-streams that I assume were from the various news stations. I watched a few replays later and one live as they rolled through downtown surveying the damage. I will say that it did not take me long to get super tired of hearing the name "West Elm" as I swear, each reporter felt the need to focus on it. Why? The windows/glass door were shattered and the sprinklers were on and the water was kinda trickling out (probably rushed whenever they opened the door) but it wasn't on fire and there were stores that were, in fact, on fire. Hell, Hall's Chophouse had the owner (?) go back inside, grab his gun, and come out and fire the shots you could hear in other videos. THAT's something to cover, not water damage at West Elm. Jesus.
I was up for most of Saturday night, til maybe 4am when I realized my mute on a former coworker must've ended because her stuff was popping up in my feed again. unfortunately, the second thing I noticed from her was a video that I clicked and I really fucking wish I hadn't. I'm not entirely sure I did not inadvertently watch someone die on video. It was very much a close the computer down and run away because holyfuck, who shares that shit? Who shares it without a warning at least? I have not been able to bring myself to watch the ten minute snuff film that set off the riots and protests because I absolutely know that it is not something I could handle seeing and then I stumble across... I... no. No. And it looped, because all these fucking videos loop and I wish brain bleach were a real thing.
The kicker about Saturday's protests is that the daylight part? Peaceful. The sun sets and a new group of people swoop in and shit goes sideways real quick. I'm not sure why the curfew was 11-7. I can only assume it was to squeeze every last dollar they could from being open but um, not sure how well that worked since a lot of the restaurants and things downtown had the looting happen while customers were still inside.
Cops didn't arrest anyone Saturday, even though they absolutely had time to do so. Just saying. Sunday though, they went in hard at the protest on Marion Square. Wtf. Sunday's curfew was 6pm-6am and the MS protest was maybe noon-ish when the cops started arresting people? It was weird.
Today has protests in Summerville, which is a hop, skip, and a jump down the road from me. Luckily, if you can call it that, that road has a plantation or two in between so you know it's not really that short a distance.
All of this would be soul crushing enough on its own, but you combine it with the massive uptick in COVID cases in the state and Widget going MIA over the weekend (because of course he fucking did) and it's just... last week was wild. Oh, and someone pulled a hit and run on one of Cass's cats and said cat died in Cass's arms. Throw in that surprise tropical storm and May went out in a swirl of chaos, truly.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-06-01 10:55 pm (UTC)And you're right - most of the daylight protests around here were also peaceful, but when night fell the anarchists come out and set fire to EVERYTHING. I ask you, what is the point of setting shit on fire? What does that accomplish? Nothing, except to make the protests look like vigilante violence, which is the very thing that is being protested against.
People are so fucking stupid. I just can't anymore.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-06-02 02:32 am (UTC)I've yet to figure out the point in the smash and grab bit beyond people going full on "want. take. have." and figure now's as good a time as any. Only, y'know, not. I really don't understand them fucking up small businesses, because I could maybe pretend, if I squint and tilt my head juuuuuuust right, that maybe someone figures if the big chains take a hit, they might speak up. Or maybe I just don't care that much about the Apple store being looted thoroughly.